Clinical studies and practice have shown that providing a reduced pressure in proximity to a compromised tissue site augments and accelerates the growth of new tissue at the tissue site. The applications of this phenomenon are numerous, but application of reduced pressure has been particularly successful in treating wounds. This treatment (frequently referred to in the medical community as “negative pressure wound therapy,” “reduced pressure therapy,” or “vacuum therapy”) provides a number of benefits, including faster healing and increased formulation of granulation tissue. Typically, reduced pressure is applied to tissue through a porous pad or other manifold device. The porous pad contains cells or pores that are capable of distributing reduced pressure to the tissue and channeling fluids that are drawn from the tissue.
Wound fluids, also known as exudates, are generally collected in a canister for disposal or analysis. Wound fluid primarily consists of plasma in addition to red and white blood cells, platelets, bacteria, and a variety of proteinaceous material. Plasma consists primarily of saline. In clinical practice, it is desirable that canisters are sized large enough to obviate the need for frequent replacement even when used in the treatment of wounds generating a high volume of exudate. Conversely, it is also desirable that the canister is not so bulky that the canister consumes too much storage space or unnecessary resources for hazardous waste disposal of canisters filled with potentially infectious wound fluid. In the home healthcare environment, storage and disposal issues are more pronounced. Caregivers in the home environment must also supply a bodily with empty canisters and dispose of filled canisters, so minimizing this burden and potential accidents resulting from the disposal of filled containers is useful as well as more cost-effective.